Paramedics in Spokane have a new tool when it comes to helping people recover after a drug overdose.
When a person is given Narcan and revived from an overdose, they immediately go into a painful withdrawal.
Anne Raven, integrated medical services manager at Spokane Fire Department, says the withdrawal includes symptoms like horrible muscle aches, diarrhea, vomiting, sweating, tearing and runny nose.
That's where this new drug, Suboxone, comes in.
It's an opioid, but instead of getting a person high, it relieves them of their withdrawal symptoms.
Paramedics responded to an overdose call Wednesday, and after Narcan had been administered, the person denied Suboxone despite being in intense pain.
Raven says it is 100% voluntary whether a person wants the drug.